Why to use partner channel management in SAP CRM

Overview
SAP CRM provides Partner Channel Management(PCM). This is used by the organization where sales or service of products is widely performed through indirect channels.

Why use Partner Channel Management?

In order to deliver a full channel solution, PCM capabilities leverage following core strengths of core SAP CRM:

• Web Channel
• web channel capabilities are extended to partners
• Traditional CRM
  • CRM module, i.e. Sales, Service and Marketing, capabilities are extended to partners while being tightly integrated with direct processes
• PRM
  • enables relationship management
  • enables collaboration between brand owners and their channel partners

• For many organizations indirect partners are playing key role in driving or influencing growth in percentage of revenue.
• A channel partner network have greater influence by market segment and geographically
• Companies can sell to partners or collaborate with partners.
• By leveraging channel partners companies can drastically lower their cost of sales and services.
• Thus it is becoming important to streamline indirect channel operations and to have efficient interaction with the partners.

  PCM Functionalities involved:

• Partner Management
• Collaborative Showroom
  • Open Catalog Interface: Transferring Data to the Partner Shop
  • Generating Leads in the Collaborative Showroom
• Access Control Rules

  SAP PCM is divided into following main business areas:

Structure of Indirect Channels:

Portals and Roles in SAP CRM PCM

• PCM provides following portals:

• PCM includes following roles:

• The channel manager portal enables your organization to:
  • manage partner relationships
  • collaborate with channel partners
  • optimize channel operations
• Channel Manager Role:
  • used by brand owner employees
  • has access to the Channel Manager Portal
  • used to manage channel partner relationships & channel partners
  • creates leads
  • collaborate with channel partners
  • optimize channel operations
  • monitor and analyze channel sales, service and marketing
  • dispatches leads to partners
• Channel Manager:

 

• The partner manager portal enables your organization to:
  • perform effective selling
  • effective end-customer interaction
• Partner Manager:
  • has access to Partner Portal
  • responsible for more effectively selling
  • can perform end-customer interaction
  • accepts and qualify leads
  • starts the lead-to-order process
• In general, Partner Portal is accessed by two groups of employee:
  • Partner Manager
  • Partner Employee
• Partner Manager is responsible for marketing, sales and service of the brand owner products and services at the partner company.
• Responsibilities of Partner Manager includes:
  • marketing, sales and service of the brand owner products
  • services at the partner company
  • managing leads and orders
  • has access to up-to-date information and analyses
  • manages the customer relationship together with the brand owner
• Responsibilities of Partner Employee includes:
  • reports to the partner manager
  • focuses on daily business processes
  • qualifying leads
  • accepting stock replenishment orders for customers
  • providing order statuses to customers
  • finding solution or logging service requirements problems that customer encountered

Marketing Development Funds

• In order to generate the customer demand marketing development funds (MDF) is used in an indirect sales model.
• These are the resources that you provide to your channel partners for marketing your brands and products.

• MDFs is integrated to:
  • SAP CRM Marketing
  • SAP CRM Partner Channel Management
  • SAP CRM Funds Management
  • SAP CRM Claims Management
  • SAP CRM Billing
  • SAP BI
• SAP ERP (FI/CO)
• Thus by efficiently allocating the market development budgets to the channel partner and their marketing attribute it enables you as brand owners to increase the effectiveness of the channel marketing expenditures.